Hezbkiah h



iaithitatr'a attent' ffice. t a e IMPROVEMENT IN PIRE-PROOF SAFES.

*dlp flgrhule munt tu iutlgrsr rttets zitcit mit making putt nf tigesind.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Bc it known that I, I'IEZEKIAH II. BRYANT, of Boston, in the county ofSulfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and improvedFire-Proof Safe; and I hereby declare that the following is a full andexact description thereof', reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a partof'this specification, of which v Figure 1 represents a rei-ticalsection of the door of the improved safe, showing the interior parts,Ste.

Figure 2`is a vertical section of the safe, showing the interior vaultand the compartments, and the other parts of the'same:

The letter A represents the outer casing or shell of the structure, Bits steam or air-circulating space or chamber, and .a a, die., outletsformed through the outer shell A, and communicating with the interiorofthe space I5. C C C C are thesteam-generators, b 6 b, the., theil`vents; e c c c the flexible tubes connecting with such vents, and 4D DD, &c., the buoys or floats secured to the free ends of such tubes. d @Zd, &c., are the waters'upply pipes for supplying water to thegenerators.

The plan of construction I propose to adopt inlbuilding my fire-proofsafes, bank vaults,-or other similar: structures for the safe-keeping ofvaluable property `orrecfu'ds, is the following, viz f First, havingconstructed five sides of a case of metal or other suitable material, ofany required dimensions, (see fig. 2,) I then build a tank of the sameconformation in its exterior measurement, save that it is made enoughsmaller so that when it is placed in its proper position within the casementioned it will leave sulfucient space for the circulation of steam orair completely around it, 'so that every part, or nearly so, of theinterior surface of the caso mentioned, as well as the exterior surfaceof the tank, will come in contact with the air or steam, or both. Thistank may contain one or more compartments. I prefer, however, to divideinto tive compartments, so that they represent its back,top,`bottom,'and two of its sides, each one of' which I till nearly fullof water, for the purpose of generating steam whenever the structure maybe subjected to a suicicnt degree of heat. (See e u, the., in thedrawings,representing the several tanks 'or divisions of the same.) Eachone of these compartments is provided with a vent or opening, leadingtherefrom into the space between the tank and the case A, beforedescribed. To this vent, within the compartment, I attach aflexible tubeor hollow pipe, c, of a sufficient length to reach therefrom to any partof that compartment. To the other end of this flexible tube or pipe Ifasten or attach a buoy, D, for the purposeiof floating thatrend abovethe surface of the water, thereby providing :t means of escape for thesteam which may be generated through thervent just described, fromwhence it escapes through the vent or vents a provided in the first orouter case, Aor through a vent or vents that will admit it into thevault or place of deposit in the structure, and from thence through thecrcvices about the door. I prefer, however, to conduct the steam offinto the open air without bringing it in contact with thc interior ofthevault, as the books or papers or other valuables deposited therein canbe thus preserved unhurt and intact, whereas the action of the steamupon such books, Sie., is, while leaving-them still legible, to preventthem'from bcinguscd in future. Each one of these compartments is alsoprovided with a pipe, d, leading from the exterior surface of theflrstwall or case into said compartments, which pipes are so arranged asto admit as much water, and no more, to the compartments as eachcompartment will take and still leave the required space between thesurface of the water and the walls of the compartment for thesteam-escape tube to continue in Working condition regardless of theposition the structure may be placed in. In the remaining or sixth sideof the case, first described, the door of the structure is made,'upon`the interior surface of which is placed a tank for water, arranged insuch a manner as to allow a circulation of air and 'steam as describedfor the other portion of the structure. This is also provided with thevent, flexible tube. and buoys, shown in the several compartments beforedescribed. i

The advantagesrwhich I cla-im, and can establish by practical tests, formy .mode of'buildin'gjtlestructure herein described over those of anyother manufacture now in use are these: rst, that my mode o1construction is cheaper than any other now in use; second, that in a.given space (whichis of great importance in these structures) used forwater-tanks I put twice as much water as any other method, thereby morethan doubling the resistance gained therefrom; third, that my mode savesthe wholeA structure from anything-more than an unimportant damagewhenever exposed to re, while none other maires any attempt to saveanythingmore than the deposit.

Se long as the safe contains any water it will receive no more injuryAwhen subjected to the action of a. heat than is received by an ordinarysteam boiler.

-What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A safe or similar structure, provided with .chambersorvesselsforholding water or other suitableliquid', and enclosed within anouter chamber or jacket for receiving the steam and vapor dischargedfrom said chambers or vessels, as herein shown and set forth. v

2. The combination, with one or more water-chambers o1' vessels, of anexterior steam or air-chamber or chambers under the arrangement heroindescribed, so that the steam generated within the said Water-chambersshall be discharged through suitable vents or valves into the exteriorsteam-chambers, and thence into the open air, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

3. Forming the walls of a safe or other similar structure of an innerwater or other 1iquid-compartment, and an outer air or steam-chamber,communicating with each other and with the exterior of the structure, asand for the purposes herein shown and set forth. 4. In a safe or othersimilar' structure, I claim 'the. combination, witha water-chamber ofsuitable construction, of a flexible tube and float or buoy forconducting the steam from said chamber as herein shown and described. l5. The combination and arrangement, with the steam and water-chambers,of the vents or valves -for the leduction of steam from said chambers,and for the introduction of the liquid into the Water-chamber,substantially as shown and set forth. l

6. The combination, with the body of a safe or similar structure of'ordinary or'suitable construction, of a door, in which air or steam andwater-compartments arel arranged, as herein'specied, the saidcompartments being prcvidedwith vents or valves larranged to dischargethe steam generated inthe water-chambers in the manner described. v

H.' H; BRYANT.

Witnesses:

J. L. NEWTON, F. H. -APPLETON

